What is the story told in Maurice Gee’s Plumb trilogy?

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New Zealand literature Front cover of the Spiral Press first edition of Keri Hulme's *The Bone People* (1983).

The Plumb trilogy by Maurice Gee is a significant work of New Zealand literature that examines the lives of three generations of a single family. Each volume is narrated by a central character who weaves together their personal history, the broader historical past, and the narrative present.1

The trilogy consists of the following novels:

Plumb (1978): Set between the 1890s and 1949, this novel is based on the life of Gee’s grandfather, a Presbyterian minister who faced a trial for heresy by his church and was imprisoned for sedition by the state.1
Meg (1981): Continues the family chronicle.1
Sole Survivor (1983): Concludes the trilogy, carrying the family's story through the 1980s.1

Through these narratives, Gee explores the complexities of family dynamics and the social evolution of New Zealand across the 20th century.1